


Drowning in a Rainstorm

by pixelfigs



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Roommates, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-05-10 03:07:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14728799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixelfigs/pseuds/pixelfigs
Summary: Sometimes it's hard to get along with a new roommate, and when Genji brings in his mysterious older brother to take up the extra room, Jesse has to learn how to melt the glacier that is Hanzo. Though perhaps he'll find that his heart will also melt along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little exploration into a college AU where Hanzo and Jesse are roommates their senior year. Written in YA style and meant to be an easy and light-hearted read. I'm trying to write about a chapter ahead at any given time while also going back and editing, so updates may take a bit. This also means that old chapters have a tendency to change as I move forward since I tend to go back and read the older chapters at the same time. I won't change any key plot points, but small details to improve the reading experience may appear from time to time.  
> You can reach out to me at any time on my [Tumblr](http://ananse-tori.tumblr.com/) with questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions!  
> If you enjoyed this chapter pleased consider [supporting me on ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/U7U0J785)!  
> Ships that will be included but not the focus that I know of right now:  
> Mercy/Pharah  
> Mei/Zarya  
> Genji/Lucio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, okay I reread this chapter recently and it will be going under some harsh edits soon. Possibly entirely rewritten idk. I promise to get chp. 5 up beforehand, but I might use winter break to go on an editing spree.

There are few things in life that can combat a hot summer’s day, and sweet tea, thought Jesse chewing on his straw, goes undefeated. Though, most folks attending Overwatch University London preferred their tea hot, even on the rare days the temperature peaked above 95. He’d resorted to making his own simple syrup at home so he could enjoy tea the right way. 

9:45, he was cutting it close, but Professor Winston was used to Jesse showing up late to lecture. It was his fault anyway for scheduling a required course before noon, not that Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops wouldn’t wake him right up. His eyes started to glaze over just thinking about the famous epics that were Prof. Winston’s slide sets. 

Buzz. McCree glanced at his phone and grinned. 

Angie: Hi Jesse! Do you want to meet for lunch later? Would love to catch up on what you did this summer. 

Jesse began to tap back with the thumb not preoccupied by his sweet nectar. 

Jesse: fuq yeah, what time u thin- 

McCree let out a grunt as his shoulder bumped against another student. His sweet tea tumbled to the ground, crashing, watering the sidewalk. 

“Pardon, didn’t see you there.” 

The student, who had already started to leave without even offering a helping hand, turned and glared at Jesse. 

“Watch where you walk.”

Slack jawed, McCree watched the student strut away, plowing through the stream of students that parted before him. 

“Well I never,” he mumbled, picking up his empty cup, now a tragic loss. He glanced at his watch. “Shit.”

The sugar sank to the bottom of McCree’s cup as he attempted to stir the sugar packets into his iced tea. He knew it was a fruitless effort from the beginning, but still he let out a sigh. 

“Something wrong?” smiled Angie. The radiant med student sat across the table next to Fareeha, an aeronautical engineer, ROTC student, and Angie’s ogling magnet for the past three years. 

“Aw nothing much, shoulda learned by now that they don’t know how to make sweet tea right here.  What about you Angie, you have any sweet tea recently?” he asked wiggling his eyebrows and glancing over at Fareeha. Jesse chuckled as Angie’s face flushed a rosy pink.

“Are you okay, Angie?” asked Fareeha, glancing over. 

“Are you excited for your new roommate, Jesse?” asked Mei. 

“Da, Genji mentioned his brother is taking the extra room?” said Zarya. 

“His stuff all got to the apartment this morning, but Genji said he’d probably spend the night at a hotel so he could go to classes today.”

“After flying from Tokyo? That’s a tough pull,” said Fareeha. 

“What about your summer? You had an internship, right?” asked Angie.

“Got that right, did soil samples and crop management at a local farm. Lotsa time rollin’ in the dirt.” 

“I see you picked up quite the tan, I hope you wore at least a little sunscreen?” 

“Naw, it’d spoil the samples.” 

“Jesse.” 

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask!” said Mei. “You guys are still okay with helping this weekend right?” 

“Do we know how many freshman are supposed to show?” asked Zarya. 

“In past years I think it was around 50.” 

The four women chatted away about logistics of the event. Typically Genji would join the group for lunch, but he was either helping his brother settle in or hadn’t bothered to roll out of bed yet. Jesse and Genji had moved in together the previous semester even though Genji was a year younger. The duo had struggled to find a roommate to fill the final room of the apartment. Genji was a good roommate. Messy, sure. Left dishes in the sink all the time. Jesse had lost count of the times he’d forgotten to replace the toilet paper. But he let Jesse do the same  and any spats were settled after a good night of drinking and video games. 

As the months pressed on, paying rent on an apartment with an empty room started to strain their wallets. They both went to school on scholarships and had to work part time on campus for money. Jesse really didn’t want to lose the place, the fridge had an ice maker for god’s sake. When Genji suggested his brother, who was transferring to Overwatch University, it seemed like the perfect miracle, but now that he was going to meet the fella soon, Jesse was getting cold feet. He knew there’d been some sort of drama between the brothers in the past that had apparently worked itself out. Still, Genji hadn’t mentioned his brother for the first few years Jesse knew him. There was radio silence any time the conversation turned to family. McCree wasn’t one to push, so the matter remained a mystery. Over the past few months there were a few more conversations of the past; McCree assumed it probably had to do with Genji starting yoga.

“Oh shit, I’m going to be late.” Jesse gathered his things into his bag. “Sorry folks, I’ve got a meeting with Professor Amari to find out if I have a future or not.” 

“Say hi to mom for me!” grinned Fareeha. 

Warm sunlight filtered through the window into the dusty office. An aromatic mix of chai tea and old books wafted through the room. When McCree knocked at the open door, Professor Amari looked up from one of the open photography books stacked around her desk. The walls were packed with war photos, her pieces from her time as a photojournalist. 

“You’re late.”

“And here I was hoping I’d made it just in the nick of time.” 

She smiled. “Tell me about your summer while I find your academic report, cowboy.” 

“I worked an internship this summer at a farm over yonder, takin’ soil samples, helping with the animals a bit, sweatin’ away my youth under the hot sun.” 

Amari smiled. “Did you take any pictures?” 

Jesse grinned. “‘Course I did.” He pulled a manilla folder out of his bag. 

“You should really learn to store your pictures better or maybe switch to digital.” 

“Old dogs, new tricks and such.” 

“Oh, hush.” She laid out the photos across her desk. They consisted mostly of golden fields, old barns collapsing in on themselves, and small streams hidden in the woods. It was intimidating, watching her scrutinize each piece. She was an award-winning photographer looking over shots he’d taken during his weekend walks and developed in his bathroom. 

“You’ve got a good eye cowboy, you know when to take the shot.” She smiled. “I still think you’ve got a career in this; you have the talent, you practically have the degree with how many art classes you’ve taken as electives.” 

“Aw you know, it’s just a hobby. It’s much easier to find a job in agriculture right now and I can always keep photography as a hobby.”

“It’s your decision,” said Amari. “This is definitely your best shot out of the bunch.” She tapped the picture of one of his coworkers mid-swing with a grubber glistening in the sunlight. Dirt flew in the air. It was his favorite too. 

“Now, let’s talk about your classes, you’re tracking  to graduate on time. Looks like you only have two classes you need to take next semester, and I see you’re already signed up for my class this semester.” 

“Wouldn’t miss it.” 

“I was serious before about getting double degrees, you’re three courses away from filling the requirements for a B.A. in Photography.” 

“Is one of them a history class? You know how I am with names and dates, plus all the readings.” 

“Just think about it this semester. You have the talent and the drive, Jesse. I don’t want you to just leave this school with a job, I want you to leave with a career. I see too many students sucked into jobs that drain their passion, and I don’t want the same to happen to you.” She said with a solicitous smile.

“Not your most uplifting speech, professor, but speaking of draining passions I have Rangeland Ecology and Management in 10.” 

“Go, go don’t be late, though I’m sure somehow you’ll manage anyway. I’ll see you in class tomorrow?” 

“Peacekeeper and I will be there ready to rumble.”

“Of course. And Jesse?”

“Yessum?” 

“Please do think about it.” 

“Will do, will do.” 

The craving for sweet tea lingered through the rest of Jesse’s class. He could hear the pitcher he’d made that weekend calling out to him from the fridge as he dug for his keys. The apartment was on the second story of the building. Each flat took up a floor of the three story complex above a divey bar. It was a bit odd at first getting into the building through a side door in the alley, but the path had become habit. 

A cool wave of AC hit McCree as he opened the door. He let the stress of the day slide off his shoulders as he ditched his boots. One of the few rules Genji had laid out as roommates was absolutely no shoes in the house. The apartment had an open layout with a bar separating the kitchen from the living room. McCree dropped his bag on the counter and made a beeline straight for the fridge, pouring a tall glass of tea. He took a long sip. Perfect. He glanced around the living room as he drank and noticed a distinct lack of boxes. The brother must’ve arrived and moved his stuff to his room. Cool. 

He dug through one of the junk drawers in the kitchen, fishing out a cigarette and placing it behind his ear. As he opened the patio door he heard bickering in Japanese and stomping down the hallway. Genji’s bright green head of hair rounded the corner first. He was sporting one of his classic ironic cropped anime shirts and jean shorts showing off his scarred stomach and synthetic legs. 

Jesse wasn’t sure on the details, but he knew that Genji had been in some sort of accident a few years back and lost both his legs and one of his arms, plus scarring up a good amount of the rest of his body. The prosthetics were something they’d bounded over when they first met when Genji had commented on Jesse’s “sick af arm”. The topic of the accident was never broached, or mentioned except in vague passing. He had a feeling it was something that still ate him up and Jesse knew not to push it. Genji was not one to keep quiet about something when he wanted to talk about it. 

The man following behind Genji struck a stark contrast to his younger brother. He wore his dark hair long and tied back, revealing an undercut. Black jeans cuffed, black short sleeve button up, and an intense tattoo that Jesse couldn’t quite make out.  _ He definitely goes to the gym _ , he thought doing a quick scan. There was a slight familiarity about him.

Genji looked relieved to see Jesse and interrupted his brother who sounded as if he was in the middle of some scold. 

“Jesse’s here! Now you guys can actually meet. Jesse, this is my brother Hanzo. Hanzo, this is my friend Jesse.” 

Hanzo turned his attention from Genji and glared at Jesse. It clicked. Jesse scowled for a brief moment.

“Hello, it is nice to meet you,” recited Hanzo. 

“Howdy, we actually met earlier today.” 

“I do not remember.” 

“Hmmph.” 

“Allllright. Well introductions done, are you okay with Thai food tonight, Jesse?”

“Sounds good to me.” 

“Cool, I’ll go ahead and order and maybe you can finish unpacking, Hanzo?” 

Hanzo glanced to McCree and said something to Genji in Japanese, but Genji waved him away muttering something back. With one last glare at Jesse, he returned back down the hallway to his room. 

“Well,” said Jesse when he heard the door close. “He’s a bit intense.” 

“Yeah, he’s just like I remember him; I thought the past few years would’ve softened him up a little bit. I swear he’s chill once you get to know him, he just doesn’t do great in new situations where he doesn’t have his footing yet.” 

“Hmmph.” 

“You said you met earlier today?”

“Sure did, was walking to class and he bumped into me and knocked my tea to the ground.” 

“I don’t suppose he apologized?” 

“Nah, said I should watch where I walk.” 

Genji squished his cheeks, letting out a long sigh. 

“I promise he’s not a terrible person. I’ll have a talk with him later tonight, but he’ll still take a bit to warm up to.” 

“A bit? Genji your brother’s colder than a witch’s tit.” 

He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah he is. Can I cash in all my friendship points I’ve ever earned for you to try to get along with him?” 

Jesse took another long sip from his tea. “Well I can’t refuse friendship points, can I? I’m sure he’s just grouchy from the long plane ride. Everyone breaks down eventually to the Jesse McCree charm.” he said with a wink.

“You have them swooning from every direction, cowboy,” Genji chuckled. “Thank you.”

“No problemo, partner.” 

“Thai food?” 

“Thai food.”

Dinner was awkward at best. Genji did his best to strike up conversation between the trio, asking McCree and Hanzo about their classes so far. Hanzo responded with what Jesse counted a max of five words. After they’d finished their take out boxes, Hanzo excused himself to his room. Jesse hoped it was to sleep off his grouchiness.

Genji and McCree fell into their normal routine of sitting on the couch, Jesse on his computer and Genji playing Persona 5 on the TV. They cracked open a few beers through the evening, gossiping about their friend group and when Angie and Fareeha would get together. Genji turned in early since all of his lectures were the next day. He said it was “totally worth” to have two extra weekend days. 

In spite of the long day, Jesse still felt energized.  _ Probably drinking so much tea in the afternoon _ , he thought. He dove into the backlog of digital photos he’d accumulated over the summer. Though he prefered traditional film, he hadn’t set up his makeshift blackroom  yet.He’d have to make a trek back to campus if he wanted to develop his other rolls, and it was a bit late for that. There was a soft beeping from his arm, time to charge. He carefully removed the prosthetic and moved over to the counter so he could plug it in. He worked through a few photos, fixing lighting, color correcting and such when he heard a light tapping coming into the kitchen. McCree looked up from his computer expecting to see Genji who’s prosthetics he’d heard tapping up and down the hall in the past, but instead was confronted with a shirtless Hanzo, who looked equally surprised to see Jesse awake. 

He glanced at the clock, 2am. Looks like he’d lost track of time again. Hanzo glared at him for a moment before rustling through the kitchen cabinets.  

“You looking for something in particular, partner?” 

Hanzo sent a chilling look his direction. 

“Tea.”

“Here, let me grab it for you.” Jesse rounded the counter next to Hanzo, opening a tall cabinet. The older Shimada crossed his arms. He didn’t look to be much taller than Genji, a good few inches shorter than himself. He wore black sweatpants and with no shirt Jesse could see the tattoo crawling up his arm. Two blue dragons swallowing his shoulder. It was intricate. McCree could only begin to imagine how long it would’ve taken to complete and with all the shading how much it would’ve hurt. 

“What kind ya want?” 

“Chamomile.” 

“Fresh out, but if you’re lookin’ for something to help you sleep we got valerian.” 

“Fine.” 

Jesse handed the box to Hanzo, “Genji’s got his electric kettle over there and mugs are in this cabinet.” He looked back to Hanzo who continued to glare at him. Was that a bridge piercing? 

“Thank you.” 

“Y-yeah. No problem. For future reference, we’ve got a step ladder next to the fridge that Genji uses to get to some of the taller shelves if you need it.” 

“Hmmph.” 

Hanzo filled the kettle with water, turning on the electric blue glow. His back was broad and strong. He obviously took care of himself, not putting on the 10 pounds McCree had somehow accumulated during his time at school. When Angie questioned him about his eating habits he’d always tell her the weight was just the knowledge he was gaining. Hanzo’s hair was still tied up in a bun away from his face. Even in the dim light he could make out the sharp cheekbones. 

“Righttt. Well, I should go ahead and hit the sack.”

Silence.

Jesse gathered up his arm and laptop and started down the hallway.

“Ya know,” he said coming back around the corner. “I don’t know if it’s jet lag or if you’re just a general grump, but Genji wants us to get along. He cashed in all his friendship points for it, so I’ll be damned if I won’t make an effort. Plus, we’ll be living together for the next year. I’m not asking to be best friends, but I’d at least like to be friendly, buds perhaps?” 

Hanzo glanced from his mug of tea with dark brown eyes. A pang shot through Jesse’s chest. If he wasn’t radiating indignation, one might even find them comforting.

“Understood.” 

“Okay, cool. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He dumped his computer onto his chair and stripped down for bed. He wondered how such pretty eyes could belong to such a total ass.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mmmmm BBQ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's some Spanish in this chapter that I will tell you right now was definitely just chugged through google translate. If you have any suggestions on how to make it better PLEASE let me know, I took French in high school :( . 
> 
> I'm trying to do that thing where you write ahead so chapter 3 is underway, it needs to go through some editing first though, and I need to get chapter 4 started. 
> 
> If you have any notes or would like to be a beta reader please feel free to contact me! So yeah hit me up on tumblr @ananse-tori if you want to chat.
> 
> If you liked this chapter please consider [supporting me on ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/U7U0J785)!

The next few days passed getting back into the mix of school. Lectures consisted of logistics and syllabi for the upcoming semester. The campus remained sweltering. Students flocked to the grassy field that lay in the center of the lecture halls, running with water guns and frisbees as they eased into the beginning of the school year. Jesse spent a few of his breaks between classes napping in the shade and snapping a few pictures of their carefree activities. He hoped to sell a few to Student Life marketing for extra spending money. 

He didn’t see much of his new roommate past the first night. Hanzo was on campus most of the time  doing who knows what and when he was home he was locked away in his room doing, Jesse presumed, the same thing. He was beginning to think that the extra toothbrush in the bathroom was all that existed of Hanzo until Friday morning. 

Growing up a guttersnipe, Jesse was taken in for nights or sometimes a few weeks by kind abuelas who gave him a hot meal, a warm bed, and the occasional lesson. He spent most of his childhood speaking in Spanish, only switching to English when necessary. When registering for courses, he figured that Spanish would be an easy A for his language requirement. He soon discovered, that though he could still converse like a native, give or take some grammar lost to slang, he’d never learned to read or write the language beyond what was used  in daily life. Dr. Gabriel was quick to recognize his accent and his struggles, and helped Jesse push past the reading and writing hump. 

Though his major only called for two levels of a language, Jesse took the full track as a way to stay connected to home. This year with less room in his schedule and a wallet that always seemed to be shrinking , Dr. Gabriel helped him get a job as a TA for his second-level classes. Jesse looked forward to their weekly meeting about students and grades, it was his opportunity to speak in a more comfortable tongue. 

His classroom was filled with the usual suspects, confident sophomores who felt they had a handle on life by now, terrified freshmen still trying to get their bearings, one or two juniors who’d procrastinated the previous year, and Hanzo, front of the classroom, dead center. He wore a pair of black reading glasses as he thumbed through his phone, waiting for class to start. 

Jesse placed his hat on the podium and cleared his throat to get the class’ attention. He spotted a look of short surprise from Hanzo when he noticed Jesse. 

“Hola a todos! Bienvenidos al primer día de su segundo año de espanol. Espero que estén listos para un año divertido y educativo sin inglés. Estoy seguro de que ustedes están listos después de su último año de aprendizaje!”

Pure terror and blank stares spread among the students. Jesse stole a glance at Hanzo who remained stone-faced, typical. 

“In other words, howdy y’all, name’s Jesse McCree and I’ll be your TA for the semester.”

A collective sigh escaped the class. Jesse continued with his usual first day spiel, giving out his office hours and contact info, and reviewing some of the material from the previous level. Hanzo took notes the whole lecture, a habit long lost by students that weren’t freshmen. He was attentive as well, eyes trained on Jesse as he strolled around the board. Though he’d been TAing for a year now, it gave him chills to have someone stare like that. 

Students came up at the end of lecture with questions about the material and clarifying appropriate times to turn in homework. When Jesse looked back to Hanzo’s seat, it was empty. 

_ Figures _ , he thought.  _ Vanished again _ . 

After his last class, Jesse made his way over to the Overwatch Community Service Club Welcome Barbeque. It was the annual event to get freshmen interested in their activities with the promise of free food. Angie was the current president of their chapter and she ran a tight ship. Jesse joined his sophomore year after months of constant nagging from her and he was grateful every day since. He met his best friends through the club and made many fond memories. 

The event was already in full swing when Jesse showed up to the club house. Usually the club just took place in a couple rooms of the Student Union, but this event had taken over the entire front yard of the building. 

Mei waved to him from the sign-in table. The cost of free food for freshmen was a subscription to the mailing list. Zarya sat next to her with a stack of blank name tags. 

“G’Afternoon ladies, how many chavales we round up?” 

“Forty-three so far!” said Mei. “We’ll probably get twenty or so more over the rest of the evening.” 

Jesse let out a whistle. “Not too shabby, need help anywhere?” 

“I’m sure Fareeha would love some help on the grill. Also,” said Mei as Jesse grabbed his name tag from Zarya, who had  drawn a tiny hat that rested on his name. She grinned. “We met your new roommate.” 

“Did you now?” 

“Ja, he came along with Genji.”

“He seems serious, total opposite of Genji.” 

“Yeah he’s quite the character. Probably got bout a dozen sticks up his ass. I’m surprised he graced us with his presence today.”

Another freshman popped up behind Jesse, so he waved his goodbyes before venturing over to the grill. Fareeha grinned as he came over, her aviators reflecting the sun. She wore a black AC/DC shirt chopped up into a tank top and some denim cutoffs, showing off the muscles she’d earned through her years of dedication to ROTC. He’d caught Angie staring at her arms more than once, and he honestly couldn’t blame her. He chuckled when read her apron, “kiss the cook”. 

“How’s it going grill master?”

“Not too bad, lots of hungry mouths to feed.”

“Mind if I lend a hand?”

“I’m always ready to take on an apprentice. Can you handle hot dog duty?”

“You got it, boss.”

As he poked at the dogs on the grill, Jesse scanned the crowd. He spotted Genji first, sporting another one of his neon anime shirts and  chatting up a freshman who seemed just as enthusiastic, if not more than, Genji. He had large headphones around his neck and rollerblades tied to his bag. 

Genji’s brother was also easy to spot being the only person sadistic enough to wear all black in the afternoon heat. Hanzo wasn’t hanging off to the side of the party as Jesse expected, but was instead talking to a young woman. Jesse guessed she was a freshman, though she looked like she belonged in middle school. 

“Is it just me, or are freshman looking younger every year?”

Fareeha glanced over to where Jesse was looking. 

“Oh that’s Hana Song. She’s this genius kid from South Korea who is studying Computer Science. She’s here with special honors since she’s only fourteen.” 

“Fourteen? Lordy, I wish I had my shit that together when I was fourteen.” 

“Right?”

He looked back over to Hana. She wore a baggy grey graphic tee with “Female Gamer” printed in pink on the front. She tucked the shirt into a pair of faded shorts and completed the look with pink sneakers, a pink bandana, a pink backpack, and a few friendship bracelets dangling from her wrist. Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle at the contrast between the animated child genius and the stoic senior. Still, Hanzo seemed to be replying in multiple word answers and Jesse could’ve sworn he saw the faint trace of a smile cross his lips. 

Jesse worked the grill for the rest of the afternoon, letting Fareeha enjoy the tail end of the event. He spotted her with the hostess. Angie had spent the afternoon flitting around in her white sundress making sure to meet, and he was sure, charm every freshman who attended the event. Her grin grew and a blush tinged her cheeks when Fareeha snuck up behind her and threw her arm around her shoulders.  _ Some day those two would figure it out and get together _ , he thought.

“Cheers love, the cavalry's here!” 

Lena half tackled, half hugged Jesse from the side. 

“Howdy speedy, glad you could make it. You wanna burger?”

“More like five! They’re trying to get us in season shape. They had us running circles.” 

“You’ll catch your tail someday champ.” 

Lena laughed as she stacked five patties onto a bun. She was a year below Jesse, but was already captain of varsity track. He couldn’t think of a time he’d ever seen her stand still for more than two minutes tops.

“Hey guys, clean up time!” said Genji with Hanzo at his side. “Lena wassup? Have you met my brother Hanzo?” 

“Niceff to mneet you Hahnzo!” said Lena with her mouth half full, extending a hand. 

“Pleasure,” said Hanzo giving it a short shake. 

“Lena, you want to help me with trash pickup?” 

“You trying to reclaim victory from last year’s trash race?” 

“You know it! Hanzo, can you help Jesse with grill stuff?” 

The silent response was enough for Genji and he rushed off with Lena.

“If you could just put away the extra food, I can clean up the grill.”

Hanzo packed the cooler in silence. Jesse still couldn’t believe he was wearing black jeans and a black button up on such a hot day. Now that he was closer, Jesse was able to make out more detail in the tattoo crawling up his arm. Whoever designed the piece was a nut for detail. Small patterns gave texture to the creatures’ scales. Jesse only had two out of three of his tattoos left, none of them as large or as complicated as the dragons. Sometimes he would catch sight of one in the mirror, throwing him back to a time, not so long ago, when he was young and foolish enough to get them. 

“So,” said Jesse scraping away the burnt gunk from the grill. “Second year Spanish? Interesting choice.” 

“My previous university required only one year of a language for my degree.”

“Ah. Well don’t think I’ll go easy on you just ‘cause we’re roommates!” said Jesse with a wink.

Hanzo glared at him. “I would never accept a grade that I did not earn myself.”

“Right, ‘course. Just goofing around, makin’ a joke.” 

“Jokes are supposed to be funny.” 

Jesse stared back at the grill. Maybe silence was the better option. Trying to get this guy to engage in conversation was like trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. His promise to Genji played in  his memory again. Stupid friendship points.

“Genji never told me what your major is.” 

“Business.” 

Of course. 

“Seems to be keeping you busy already.”

“I take extra credits.” 

“Tryin’ to graduate early?” 

“No.” 

“I see.” 

The two continued to work in silence until Genji came back over. 

“Almost done over here? It’s our first Friday and I want to get turnt.” 

“Yeah, I think we’re about good, you want to go to the usual?” 

“Read my mind! Want to tag along, Hanzo?”

Hanzo replied in Japanese and Genji rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I take that as a ‘no’ then?” 

Silence.  
“Come on Jesse, everyone else is ready to go,” said Genji grabbing the cooler. “See you at home Hanzo!” 

Jesse strolled with Genji over to the eager group, all ready to gossip about the new freshmen. He couldn’t help but look back at Hanzo who stuck in a pair of earbuds and was thumbing through his phone for whatever he listened to. A lone, dark figure. His attention was grabbed again by the boisterous group as Zarya grabbed him around the shoulders and Fareeha tipped his hat down over his face. He laughed as they began their journey to the bar.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a beautiful friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has started, yayyyyyy. I'm a bit busier now, so updates may be a bit slower (I know how would that even be possible?). Chapter 4 is written up, but it needs to go through some editing. Has school started for you guys? How's it going so far? Hit me up here or on my tumblr @ananse-tori for suggestions, or just to chat. Mkay, enjoy! :)
> 
> If you liked this chapter please consider [supporting me on ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/U7U0J785)!

With the start of September came the real work of the semester. His agricultural labs took place out in the field while the weather remained pleasant. It was the best part of his major, working hands on with samples. He’d chosen his focus of Plant and Soil Systems early as he found chemistry clicked better than livestock biology. Plus the goats never liked him. 

His Soil Geomorphology and Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops lectures proved to be tolerable, if not interesting at times. Ethical Implications of Modern Agriculture, however, was in fact worse than a sharp stick in the eye. There was no lab work and every lecture sent him home with a grueling research paper to read. The slides were thick with text and he had trouble deciphering bullet points before the professor moved on.

The only saving grace, was that studio photography with Amari was next. Though he didn’t plan on majoring as she suggested, he wanted to do the thesis project. It was the last course on the track. Freshman year he took traditional photography on a whim and fell in love. Amari had helped him hunt down a reasonably priced film camera. He treasured it. Later, Amari sold him one of her old digital cameras and a few lenses for, what he now realized, must’ve been a fraction of what they originally cost. He enjoyed digital and the flexibility it offered, but there was something about watching your photos develop in a dark room, seeing if you’d managed to capture the moment that lived in your mind’s eye or it was lost forever. It won him over every time.

Fall crept its way into London. The first week of classes were summer’s last huzzah before airish mornings and windy afternoons blew in. A gust shoved him from behind, almost toppling him over. Jesse had learned his freshman year to leave his hat at home on these days. He’d even tied back what he could of his hair so it would stop smacking his face. 

He spotted Hanzo ahead of him, in all black still, but he seemed to have switched out his short-sleeve button-up for a baggy pullover sweater. He lugged several tote bags and a large flat bag that caught the wind like a sail. Jesse watched as another strong gust knocked Hanzo from one side of the walkway to the other.

“Hey partner, looks like you got your hands pretty full there,” said Jesse jogging up to Hanzo. 

“Your observational skills are impeccable.” 

“Always have been, what direction you headin’?” 

“Oasis.” 

“That’s where my class is too. Let me take those totes for you.” 

“I am fine.” 

“Last time I checked folks ‘bout to be Mary Poppins-ed away aren’t doing too fine.” 

Hanzo huffed before handing over his totes, now securing the wide bag with two arms. They walked together to the Oasis arts building. 

“What’re ya carryin’ in that sail anyway? Looks like what the traditional media students carry their sketchpads in.” 

“It is.” 

“You draw?”

“I do.” 

“Well I’ll be damned.” 

“You’ll be what?” 

“Oh, pardon. It’s an idiom, means I’m surprised.” 

“I see.” 

“What class you have?” 

“Drawing anatomy and then thesis studio.” 

Jesse let out a long whistle. “So you really draw then? I thought you were a business major?” 

“I am.” 

“You minoring in traditional media?” 

“I could, but no.”

“Just takin’ it for yourself then?”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“I keep askin’ while you keep answerin’. It ain’t normal to be livin’ with a fella ya hardly know. Plus, like I told you before, Genji wants us to get along and I ain’t the type to go back on my word.” 

“I was wrong. You just talk a lot.” 

“Now listen here,” said Jesse stopping to face Hanzo. “I don’t know why you transferred here, but I know noone transfers universities their senior year ‘cause of academic reasons. I also know that some shit went down with you and Genji not too long ago and that ain’t none of my business, but I don’t think it’s too crazy to assume you’re here for Genji. If he hadn’t asked me I woulda let you go on your merry way, but he’s been with me through thick and thin, so I’m putting in the effort. If you’re here for Genji, maybe you could put in just a smidgen of energy toward somethin’ he wants.” 

He started again, walking in silence to the art building. Jesse felt his face burn up. He hadn’t lost his temper that bad in a long while, but Hanzo just seemed to know how to get right on his last nerve.

“You do photography?” 

He eyed Hanzo. “Sure do.”

“Is that your major?” 

“Nah, I’m in agriculture with a focus on soil and plant systems.” 

“Is that why you wear the shirts?” 

“Pardon?” 

“The farmer shirts,” said Hanzo gesturing to Jesse’s flannel.

“I wear ‘em ‘cause I like them. What about you? How come there’s never a spot of color on ya?” 

“It reflects my soul.” 

Was that a joke? Jesse thought he could see a small smirk twitch at the corner of Hanzo’s lips. Apparently his little fit did little to disturb the stoic student, or if it did, Hanzo wasn’t letting on anytime soon. Side by side, Jesse was acutely aware of the height difference between them. He was at least a good five, if not six inches taller than Hanzo. He was still the tallest roommate. He could also see the piercing from his first night at the apartment. It was a simple bridge stud that accentuated a strong nose. Jesse chided himself for staring so long. He switched to polite eye contact. Though when their eyes did meet, he felt a twist in his stomach.

Jesse held the door open as they escaped into Oasis from the wind. 

“Well this is as far as the mule goes,” said Jesse handing back the bags. “Have a good class.” 

“You as well and,” said Hanzo descending the stairs. “Thank you.” 

Jesse gave a little wave and then stopped himself, feeling foolish. Still, he couldn’t help but smile. 

Studio consisted of creating surreal scenes from everyday objects. As Amari said, the goal was to challenge society’s accepted schema. It wasn’t his cup of tea. He set up a Renaissance style portrait of a classmate, first with a bouquet of light bulbs, then a mirror, and finally a microphone with ping-pong balls falling out of their mouth. While he appreciated the work folks did in staged photos, Jesse prefered candids, capturing a small slice of life. 

After class, Jesse mosied over to the local burrito joint for dinner with Genji and Angie. He was surprised to see Hana and the headphone guy at the table. 

“Hey Jesse, we ordered you your horchata,” said Angie as he took his seat. 

“Well that was mighty kind of ya, and it looks like we have some new friends. Pardon me for not introducing myself at the barbeque, name’s McCree, Jesse McCree.” 

Hana giggled behind her hand. “You weren’t kidding Genji, he is a cowboy.” 

“I was told you had a hat too,” said headphones. 

“‘Fraid I left it at home today because of the wind. What should I call you partner?” 

“Lucio! It’s awesome to finally meet you, Genji’s told me a bunch about you,” said Lucio giving Jesse’s hand a vigorous shake.

“Has he now?” said Jesse eyeing Genji who raised his eyebrows in innocent response. 

“And I’m Hana Song, but you can just call me Hana.” 

“Nice to meet you Ms. Song.” 

“These two are both interested in getting involved in the club,” said Angie. “We were just going over some rules and paperwork, especially figuring out permissions for Hana.” 

“It’s so stupid, I’m already all the way out in London I shouldn’t have to get a permission slip signed for a field trip.” 

“It’s too make sure the university knows where you are in case of an emergency.” 

“I could just sign it myself like I did back home.” 

“Don’t you dare.” 

“You been settlin’ in fine? I know my first year my heart sung out for home.” 

“It’s not too bad. I’ve been going to military school since I was little, so dorms are home to me. The only pain is that they make me check in with an advisor once a week.” 

“They let you run free otherwise?” 

“Yup.” 

“Not intimidated takin’ courses with older folks?” 

“Pfft. They wish they could get on my level. Teachers have been taking it easy on them, I’m just waiting until they kick it into the next gear, but it does open up my stream schedule.” 

“Stream schedule?” 

“Dude, don’t you know?” said Lucio. “Hana’s like, one of the top streamers in the world right now.” 

Jesse looked to Genji, still lost.

“Video games,” he said, “she plays games live for people to watch.”

“Ahh. You really are the best at what you put your mind too huh?” 

“I don’t like losing.” 

“What bout you Lucio? What’s your story?” 

“I’m studying to be an audio engineer and I do some DJ work in my freetime.” 

“Some DJ work? Come on dude,” said Genji. “He’s huge online, gets booked up all the time.” 

“Nah, you’re too kind.” 

“Servers literally went down when your last single dropped.” 

“He’s also told us about some of the activist work he’s done back in Brazil,” smiled Angie. 

Jesse let out a whistle. “You kids really hit the ground running huh? You ever have a chance to sleep?” 

“Actually, once I was doing a charity stream where people would donate money every hour I stayed awake. After seventy-two hours and at least ten energy drinks I think I transcended into a new plane of existence.” 

The group continued to share stories as they ate their giant burritos. Jesse was impressed as Hana down one that dwarfed her head. She and Lucio were both lively and welcoming. Their youth and energy grew on him over the course of the meal and he was happy for the new additions to the club. He also noticed the particular attention Genji payed Lucio. His eyes didn’t leave the bright and laughing smile of the young Brazilian. Genji was a terrible flirt, meeting some eye candy student at the bar and then not coming home that night. He’d always managed to get away without a trace. Today held back. Jesse would almost say that he looked nervous. Once Genji’s gaze broke from Lucio for a moment Jesse waggled his eyebrows and he blushed. He was going to get shit for that when they got home. 

“I do have one TA that totally sucks,” Hana muffled through her burrito. “She just dicks around the whole lab period not helping anyone with their programs. I think she’s big on security, or at least trying to break it.” 

“Are you talking about Sombra?” asked Angie. 

“Yeah, that sounds right. Something edgy like that.” 

Jesse groaned as Genji cackled. 

“What?” asked Hana. 

“Jesse dated Sombra freshman year,” Genji laughed, “and she was the worst.” 

“To be fair, I didn’t know she was a bitch when I started dating her.” 

“You were together for like year!” 

“I’m a slow learner.” 

“So I take it you guys aren’t still friends then?” said Lucio.

“Y'all’ve met Lena right?” 

They nodded. 

“So at the time, she was dating another real piece of work, Amelie Lacroix, who was best friends with Sombra. Well, Lena and I found out one fateful Valentine’s Day they’re much closer than just friends.”

“Ouch,” said Lucio. 

“You said it partner, so,” he said turning to Hana, “if she ever stirs up any trouble for you, let me know.” 

“Awww. Thank you Uncle Jesse.” 

“Uncle Jesse?” 

“Yup! And Angie is mom.” 

Jesse chuckled. “I can see that.” 

“Who’s blowing up your phone?” Lucio asked Genji rapidly tapped messages. 

“Oh just Hanzo,” said Genji finishing off his horchata. “Wants to know if I’m eating dinner at home tonight.” 

“Oh I love Hanzo!” said Hana. “He’s got this super sarcastic sense of humor that just kills me.” 

“You enjoy being around Hanzo?” asked Genji. 

“Yeah, I chat with him all the time when I see him on campus. Plus, I think he’s like the only other person here who speaks Korean.” 

“He speaks Korean?” said Jesse.

“Yeah?” 

“Well, I think you’re the first person in a long time who Hanzo hasn’t immediately pissed off,” said Genji. “I’ll have to let him know not everyone thinks he’s a total jerkwad.” 

Jesse thought back to Hanzo’s insult earlier that day. Surely he didn’t talk more than a middle school girl?  _ Though, _ he thought,  _ who wouldn’t be charmed by this spunky little freshman? _

At home Hanzo was tucked away in his room. The only hint of his presence was the light under the door. Jesse worked at his own desk for a few hours, finishing up lab reports so he wouldn’t have to bother during the weekend. When he glanced at his rodeo clock, a secret santa gift from Mei a few years back, it was past eleven. His stomach grumbled for a snack. He nabbed his laptop and prepared for his raid of the kitchen. 

The TV was on, playing one of the late night cartoons from adult swim. Genji loved to watch poorly dubbed versions of shows from his childhood. Sure enough, Genji was curled up in the armchair, playing some portable gaming console, half paying attention to the dramatic fights in the background.

McCree grabbed a box of chicken n’ biscuit crackers and plopped down on the couch. He crunched away while half-heartedly looking through his photos. 

“Why are you watching this garbage?”

Genji and Jesse both jumped at the sound of Hanzo who had snuck up behind the couch. 

“It’s a classic!” said Genji. It was one of Genji’s favorites. The show was about a kid in orange who, Jesse was pretty sure, was supposed to be a ninja. There was usually a lot of fighting, weird hand motions, and yelling for people to “believe it”.  

“Hmph. You did always like this kind of stuff.”

And to their surprise Hanzo plopped down on the other end of the couch. 

“What arc is this?” 

“Uh, Five Kage Summit,” said Genji. “You don’t have any work that’s more important than Naruto?” 

“Nothing that can’t be finished tomorrow. Why is it in English?” 

“People watch it as late night TV.” 

“Hm.” 

Jesse worked for a bit longer on his computer before placing it to the side. Constant glances at Hanzo made it difficult to focus. He’d never seen him in a casual state before, even though they’d been living together for weeks now. He seemed to be half watching the show and half zoning out, checking his phone. He was back in his joggers and tank top ensemble with the addition of a pair of fuzzy socks. It didn’t seem cold enough to justify them, but to each his own. Something about seeing Hanzo so at ease twisted his stomach into another knot. He decided it was something similar to seeing a professor grocery shopping on the weekend.

They stayed up for a few more episodes, not saying much as per the ritual of decompression. Hanzo stuck around, once getting up to make a cup of tea. As Jesse sprawled out in bed that night, he couldn’t help but wonder if what he said drug Hanzo out of his room.  _ Hmph,  _ he thought.  _ And they said nothing good came from throwing a conniption fit. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tired Jesse deals with confusing feeling as he does his best to help Hanzo survive college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: some nerds eat edibles. Not super prevalent, but if you're not comfortable with it that's chill. 
> 
> Mmmmm, yeah. So school has been eating up all of my time. I've had this chapter written up for a while,  
> but I wasn't able to edit it until break. I'm also being naughty and posting this before I have the next chapter  
> written up, but that probably won't be happening until winter break. It's a bit longer so hopefully that makes  
> up for it! Enjoy these good lads, maybe they'll figure out they like each other soon (they won't). ;)
> 
> If you liked this chapter please consider [supporting me on ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/U7U0J785)!

The rest of the week rolled slowly into Friday night. Classes lulled into their comfortable routine. 

Hanzo, however, was full of more changes than springtime. He begun venturing out from his room to sit on the couch, never saying much, but would still join his roommates in watching whatever was on the TV. Once he brought out a sketchbook, but Jesse couldn’t see what he was drawing. 

On campus, walks together to class became more frequent and, from time to time, friendly. The conversations revolved around courses, professors, and the occasional complaints about London compared to their hometowns. Jesse did his best to stay polite. Hanzo was putting forth an effort, which was the best he could ask for.  _ Maybe _ , thought Jesse,  _ we’ll get him out for drinks before graduation _ . 

“Jesse,” said Angie, snapping him out of his daydream. The whole gang was packed into a corner booth of the bar below his apartment. They looked like a regular bunch of sardines. Thankfully, Zarya had opted to pull up a chair instead of trying to squeeze her broad shoulders in. 

Generations of graffiti covered the once cream colored walls of the bar. Dark shadows danced in corners from the flickering neon lights. A few dart boards were tucked away with a refurbished jukebox that whispered some sweet old melody. A pool table took up most of the floor, with sticky green felt from many spilled drinks. Jesse had once made the mistake of ordering the shepherd's pie when attempting to nullify a potential hangover. He’d never seen a pie that managed to be charred so that it crumbled to the touch while remaining frozen solid in the middle. 

They came at least once a week. It was close and the drinks were cheap, plus when the whole staff knew your name and drink order it was hard to think of going anywhere else. 

“Sorry Doc, can you run that by me again?” 

“I was confirming your attendance tomorrow and that you’re still willing to drive one of the vans.” 

A wicked grin spread across his face. 

“‘Course, I’ve got a playlist picked out.” 

“Why does Gary Cooper look like he’s about to commit serious 

murder?” asked Lucio, who sat ever so close to Genji. It was clear that the cybernetic weeb had a pretty serious crush. When Jesse asked who was blowing up his phone or who he was hanging out with late at night the answer was always the same. The duo was like white on rice. They seemed to be in each other’s company at every possible moment, but Jesse hadn’t heard any talk from Genji of hookups. In fact when Jesse did bring the topic up, the brash and impulsive flirt he’d always known turned bashful and shy, like a young school.

“Because if you ride with Jesse you’ll be listening to country music the whole way up and back,” smiled Fareeha. 

Hana gasped and feigned a look of horror. 

“You monster!” 

“Absolute madman,” agreed Lucio.

“Aw come on now,” grinned Jesse. “It won’t be that bad. I’ve got all the classics on there.” 

“Wait, did we already sign up for seats?” asked Hana. 

“Yes, you did,” said Angie. 

Hana looked back and forth between Jesse and Angie, “Don’t tell me...” 

“You signed up to be in Jesse’s car,” said Angie with a sly smile. 

“Hope you’re ready to saddle up little lady!” 

“Nooo! I’ve been tricked!” said Hana collapsing onto the table. Lucio chuckled at her demise.

“Don’t get too cheerful there amigo,” grinned Jesse. “You and Genji are a part of this rodeo too.” 

Lucio looked to Genji who chose to make eye contact with an interesting spot on the wall instead. 

“Yeah, I might’ve forgotten for a bit and when I remembered there weren’t any seats left in the other vans.”

“Don’t worry I’ll throw on some Rascal Flatts on there just for you.” 

Lucio groaned as the rest of the table laughed. They continued to chat about the school week and how everyone was settling into the semester. Angie and Mei did their best to explain their research projects’ progress with minimal success to the group after Lucio and Hana lamented about their history class with professor Reinhardt and his ‘insane’ tests. Zarya teased Fareeha about how much she could lift as she gave her usual promise of someday surpassing her. 

“So Genji,” said Angie, “you’re sure your brother can’t join us tomorrow?”

“Nah, I asked,” said Genji. “Told me he had a big project deadline coming up or something.” 

“I find it hard to believe that the older Shimada ever leaves the house,” said Zarya. 

“We’ve seen him on campus!” said Mei. 

“And I never believe it.” 

“She’s got a point though,” said Fareeha. “Does he do anything other than go to classes and work at home?” 

“Aw, don’t be too hard on the fella. He just started to comin’ outta his shell.”

“Really?” 

“Yup, been comin’ out of his room to hang out with Genji and me. Plus we chat almost everyday walkin’ to class.” 

“I didn’t know you guys talked that much,” said Genji.

“Got classes in the same building so we’re goin’ the same direction a lot.”

“Huh,” said Genji looking puzzled. 

“Is it really that odd?” said Hana sucking down her third Shirley Temple. “I eat lunch with him like twice a week.” 

“Pardon,” said Jesse choking a bit on his beer. 

“Yeah, I saw him eating alone at the library cafe one day, so I asked if I could join him. We gossip in Korean, it’s great.” 

“Well I’ll be,” said Jesse. “Doc I think you’d better give Miss Song here a checkup, she’s got somethin’ terribly contagious.” 

“And what would that be?” 

“Her charm.” 

The group stayed at the bar one more drink before folks headed home. Lucio joined Jesse and Genji back at the apartment, easier to carpool in the morning was Genji’s reasoning. 

As much as Jesse enjoyed the volunteer work, it was a full day commitment which meant frontloading work from Saturday. It only took a few all-nighters on Sunday before he decided that doing a little work on Friday night wasn’t the worst option. 

His desk was cluttered with old film and empty cigarette cartons. He grabbed the nearby bag of sunflower seeds, and the stack of Spanish quizzes from his bag. The class had a unit test coming up and Dr. Reyes did not follow the ease in philosophy of testing. The quiz was a good warning to Jesse and the students of how much last minute cramming they’d be doing. 

He crunched away at his seeds, spitting the shells into an old soda cup. It was the usual spelling mistakes and the occasional incorrect grammar as he worked through the stack. He paused when he spotted Hanzo’s name at the top of the paper. His handwriting was tall and precise, if Jesse hadn’t watched him take the test he would’ve sworn it was printed. It was written with the confident penmanship of someone who took the quiz with ease. 

Not a single answer was correct. 

Even with a few pity points and partial credit, it came nowhere close to passing. Sure, the quiz didn’t count toward the final grade, but Hanzo didn’t seem the type to fail a quiz just because he could. Jesse checked his clock, it was just past ten. A little late, but knowing Hanzo he’d still be up working. 

A quick peek down the hallway confirmed his hypothesis. Light flooded out from Hanzo’s room. He knocked at the door, chiding himself for breaking at least two TA rules. 

Hanzo answered the door with his hair up in a messy bun and his glasses on. He eyed him up and down and Jesse found himself wishing he was wearing something other than his old sweats and cut up Rascal Flatts t-shirt. 

“What.” 

He cleared his throat. “I was just going over the quizzes from this week, ya know, for Spanish.” 

Hanzo continued to stare at him. 

“And I graded yours, ‘cause I have to, and I wonderin’ if perhaps-”

“I am busy, I do not have time to waste, how was it you said, beating bushes.” 

“Beatin’ round the bush,” corrected Jesse, “and just hold your horses, I’m trying to think of a way to put it that doesn’t make me out to be a total ass.” 

“Spare me.”

“Alrighty then. Did you even try on this quiz?” 

“I put forth my full effort.” 

“In that case,” said Jesse handing him the paper. “I’d say you’re right on your way to hell in a handbasket. Your first year fundamentals ain’t scarcely there at all. When did you last take a Spanish course?” 

“I haven’t.”

“Pardon?”

“I took Portuguese my first semester at my previous school. The university allowed me to transfer the credits as Spanish.” 

“They’re not the same language!” 

“They seemed similar enough in structure and vocabulary to translate over.” 

“Well they ain’t.” 

Jesse let out a long sigh. 

“Listen, there’s no way in hell you’re passin’ that test next

week with what Spanish you know. Even if you’ve been learnin’ the new vocab, your grammar and conjugation is ass-backwards.”

Hanzo continued to look over the paper in silence.

“Now, I know I joked before about not lettin’ you by easy just ‘cause we’re roommates, and I still stand by that, but you might wanna consider that a little tutorin’ wouldn’t be the worst idea and-”

The folded up quiz jammed back into his hand, cutting him short. 

“Your concern is acknowledged. I will handle the situation as I see fit. Goodnight.”

The door swung shut, leaving Jesse slack-jawed, the end of his sentence still trickling away. 

“Ain’t my grade to be worryin’ about anyway,” he mumbled heading back to his room for the night. 

The morning came earlier than it felt it should. Their destination was a few hours away, so they had to hit the road as soon as they could. Hana joined Jesse in shotgun, sleep in her eyes, dressed in athletic shorts and a baggy t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and baseball cap. She sipped at a mug of green tea half awake. Genji and Lucio sat slumped against each other napping. They’d emerged from Genji’s room looking like they’d barely slept a wink. A few other sleepy volunteers packed into the back as well. 

As promised, Jesse played his country music playlist the whole drive up. Hana groaned for the first few songs, but seemed to grow fonder with each passing tune. By the time they arrived she was even tapping her foot.

The work was a stream cleanup. Everyone pulled on the supplied high wading boots and wandered through the water, picking up trash and setting up fences to prevent further erosion. Music blasted from the nearby boombox, leading to a few epic midstream karaoke sessions. Jesse’s personal favorite was Zarya’s rendition of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Lunch was a cooler full of sandwiches made by Angie and Fareeha. He assumed that his oozing turkey sandwich with an over-eager dab of mustard was probably a Fareeha creation. 

During the lull of the hot mid-afternoon a water-fight broke out. It was a little splashing here and there until Hana jumped from a rock with her “self-destruct” cannonball, soaking everyone in the area. 

At the end of the day they were muddy, exhausted, and happier than a dead pig in sunshine. Hana and Lucio were both beaming. During the water-fight they’d both painted their faces with mud. It reminded Jesse of his first trip with the club, when he knew he’d found his friends. On the ride back he made an ice cream pitstop, treating the van to a scoop. He even let Hana have the aux cord. He had to admit the music she played, did she call it kpop, was catchy. 

When they got home, Jesse was plumb tuckered out. Lucio and Genji plopped down on the couch and he wished he could join them, but there was a reading and write up due on Monday and he needed to at least read through the paper. 

He sat at his desk, trudging through the words that danced around the page. It was an arduous process that left his brain aching as bad as his bones. Once the article was highlighted and annotated to his satisfaction, his brain was pulsating behind his forehead. He ventured to the kitchen for painkillers and a tall glass of water. The dynamic duo was still on the couch, playing some fighting game that Genji had tried to teach Jesse with little success.

“John Wayne! You return!” shouted Lucio turning around on the couch. 

“Can we take the volume down a few notches amigo?” winced Jesse.

“I’m nursin’ a bit of a migraine here.”

“Sorry,” he whispered. “You want a brownie, it might make you feel better.”

“A brownie?” 

A soft snicker escaped Genji before he burst out laughing. Lucio looked over to him and managed to hold back for a few moments before joining in the laughter. 

“I see,” said Jesse. “One of those brownies. Thank ya kindly for the offer, but I think I’ll pass on this round partner.”

“Heh, partner,” said Genji, eyes still glued to the TV. 

Two pills and one long sip of water took some of the edge off his headache. A phone buzzed on the coffee table. 

“Moshi, moshi,” said Genji not putting down his controller. 

He chattered away in Japanese to, Jesse assumed, Hanzo while continuing to kick Lucio’s butt. The second glass of water went down much slower than the first, but with less of a soothing effect. He glanced over to the patio and felt his fingers itching for a smoke. 

“Dude, I told you I can’t come down,” said Genji. “...Yeah, maybe a little bit. I don’t know what to tell you.” The phone dropped to the ground as yelling crackled over the speaker. Genji cursed, pausing the game to pick the phone back up. Jesse rummaged the cabinets for a snack as he finished up his call. 

“Sounds like Hanzo’s got a whole hornets’ nest in his bonnet,” he said crunching on some chicken n’ biscuit crackers. 

“Yeah, he’s down on campus and forgot his charger. He wants me to bring it down.” 

“Charger for what?” 

“His prosthetics, I think they’re like totally dead.”

“Hanzo has prosthetics?” coughed Jesse, almost choking on a cracker. 

“Yeah his legs, so he’s just kinda stuck there if they’re dead.” 

“Well I’ll be, you headin’ out then?”

“I’d be dead meat if I didn’t,” said Genji getting up from his seat. He paused, swaying a bit. “Woah.” 

“You good?” 

“Yeah I just like, passed through seven layers of reality to get up here.” 

“Dude, what?” laughed Lucio. Genji cackled, collapsing back onto the couch, trapped in debilitating laughter. 

“You sure you’re good to get down to campus?” 

“Not at all,” laughed Genji. “Heyyy, Jesse.”

“You want me to bring Hanzo the charger.” 

“ _ Please _ , I would literally  _ die _ .”

He sighed. Maybe some fresh air would help the headache and loosen a few muscles, plus he could have a smoke on the way down.

“Hell, why not.” 

“Yus, you’re the best. I’ll grab it.”

A yellow moon lit up the clear, starry sky on his stroll to campus. The cigarette did little to warm him from the breeze that blew straight through his flannel, but filled his chest with a comforting and familiar hum. He wished he’d thought to grab another layer on his way out. 

Once he’d ducked out of the cool night into Oasis, Jesse realized that Genji hadn’t thought to tell him what room Hanzo was in. He sent a text, hoping for either a room or phone number, but minutes passed with no response. He wandered the building, peaking into a few classrooms before he spotted a dark figure stradling a drawing horse, thumbing through his phone, agitated. 

“G’Evening,” said Jesse. 

“Where is Genji?”

“Yeah, right now your brother’s higher than heaven, so I came down ‘stead.” Hanzo pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath. Jesse gave a weak smile, the walk had done little to ease his headache and the last thing he wanted to do was to listen to Hanzo bitch. He could be sour on the walk home in silence. Right now all Jesse wanted to do was crawl in bed and shut down. “Come on now, ain’t no need to look blue at me.” 

“Did you bring it?”

“‘Course,” said Jesse holding out the charger.

“Could you bring it  _ here _ ?” 

“Right, forgot. Ya know,” said Jesse as Hanzo turned the cord over in his hands, “I had no idea that you got prosthetics. Figured you woulda mentioned it at some point what with my arm and all.”

“This is the wrong charger.” 

“Pardon?” 

“This is the charger for my tablet.” 

“Well, Genji’s the one who grabbed it.”

“The one who is ‘higher than heaven’?” 

The headache panged behind his forehead. 

“Ain’t nothin’ we can do about it now, can you walk at all without charge?” 

“No. Go back and get the correct one.”

“Aw, you can slide.”

“Speak English. I cannot understand your idioms when I am not exhausted and I cannot understand them now.” 

“Pardon me darlin’, I was tellin’ you to fuck off.” 

If Hanzo wasn’t stuck, Jesse was sure he’d of torn him apart limb by limb if the rage burning in his eyes was any indication. Though he wasn’t one to poke the ornery bear, the headache was back to pounding. 

“Look, you know damn well now that walk is uphill the whole way here and I’m already achin’ from a long day. If that ain’t enough I got somethin’ real mean thunderin’ through my head right now, so the sooner to bed for me the better and by my watch that round trip is gonna be another half hour at best.” 

“Well then what do you suggest?” Hanzo was livid, but Jesse was his only way out with his brother incapacitated on the couch. 

“Do you need any of your supplies or you just gonna be back here tomorrow anyway?” 

“I can store it here overnight.”

“Where’s it go?”

Following Hanzo’s directions, Jesse tucked away his drawing pad and pencils in the drawer labeled with the same neat handwriting from the Spanish quiz. 

“And what do you plan to do next?” 

“The plan,” said Jesse shutting the drawer, “is that I’m gonna carry you home piggyback style.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Guess you’re sleepin’ here tonight then.” 

Hanzo’s shock twisted Jesse’s stomach into a knot. Direct denial was definitely not something the man was used to. Bags of snacks from the nearby vending machine and the general state of disheveled of Hanzo’s hair and clothes hinted that he’d had a long day. Jesse could see he was flustered by the whole situation. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the headache, but Jesse couldn’t help but think how this messy Hanzo, so different from his usual self, was kinda cute. He looked from Jesse to the bench and back again, apparently weighing his options. 

“Fine,” he finally sighed. 

Surprised, Jesse hesitated a moment before helping Hanzo climb onto his back. Hooking his arms beneath his legs, he could feel where a hard plastic began around both his knees underneath his leggings. Strong arms hung loosely around Jesse’s neck and he could smell the faint scent of a spicy cologne. As they stepped outside, the cold air hitting them both. Hanzo shivered, hugging himself closer to Jesse’s back. If he’d had any shred of doubt of Hanzo’s physique before, it was vanquished. There was another flip in his stomach.

He braced himself for an onslaught of complaints about Genji or the weather, but Hanzo remained silent as they walked through campus. 

“So,” said Jesse, never one to leave a silence unbroken, “no legs, huh?”

“Correct.”

“How come you never mentioned it before?” 

“It is something I prefer to keep to myself.”

“Fair ‘nough.” 

There was a pause.

“You are not going to ask how I lost them? Or how I acquired my prosthetics?”

“Figured you got your reasons for not sayin’. Folks have their pasts, it’s their business if they share it or not.” 

“You surprise me, I took you to be a nosey cowboy.” 

“Well sometimes curiosity gets the better of me, but I know you’re a private person so I’ll bite my tongue for now.”

“How considerate.” 

“Don’t sass me or I’ll plop you right on the ground here.”

There was a light chuckle from Hanzo that rumbled against Jesse’s back. “You would not dare.” 

“Nah, you’re probably right. You workin’ on some big project today then?” 

“Yes, a figure drawing due this coming Monday.” 

“You been there all day?” 

“Since eight this morning.” 

“Lordy, that’s a long one. You not start on it yet or something?”

“I had started it, but I did not have much time this week to spend on it. It was a presentation week for my business courses.”

“Mmm,” hummed Jesse. “Is it true you eat lunch with Miss Song?” 

“Twice a week, why?” 

“Well call me crazy, but I didn’t peg her as the type you’d normally chat with.”

“She is a sweet girl, it is hard to stop talking to her once she starts.”

A compliment? From Hanzo? He’d have to let Hana know when he saw her next. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re talkin’ to folks, even if those folks are a middle school girl.” 

“What, did you worry about me cowboy?” 

“Oh hush. You just seem the type to lock themselves away from everyone and everything, not asking for help when you need it. Seen a lot of fellas go down that route and it don’t turn out pretty.”

A deep, hardy laugh resonated from Hanzo right up Jesse’s spine. He paused to look up at him wiping tears from his eyes, a soft smile spread across his face that warmed every inch of Jesse’s skin.

“What? What’s so funny?” 

“Do not worry about it cowboy.”

“Why you keep callin’ me that?” 

“Because you are dressed like a cowboy, and you smell like cigarettes.” 

“I had a smoke on my way down, sue me.” 

They walked in silence for a few moments. Jesse was thankful for the downhill going home. His once sore muscles were now screaming as he felt Hanzo’s additional weight with each step, drawing his attention to the gut he’d gained at university. 

“Jesse,” said Hanzo, hesitant. 

“Yeah?” 

“I thought over the Spanish quiz and your offer of your tutoring services. If the offer is still available, I would like to accept.” 

“For real? You ain’t tuggin’ my chain?”

“For real.” 

“Well I ‘spose we’ll have to figure out a time to meet up then, best before that unit test this week.”

“Probably a good idea.” 

“Speaking of which we should probably exchange numbers, for tutoring and ya know, household emergencies.” 

“I already have your phone number.”

“How?” 

“Genji gave it to me when I moved in.”

“Well how ‘bout you shoot me a text when we get home then?”

“Sure.”

The stairs up to the apartment were the toughest part of the walk back. By the time he reached the front door Jesse was huffing hard, cursing his smoker’s lungs. He pushed open the door, kicking off his shoes. He turned just in time to see Genji and Lucio break apart from what looked to be an intense make out session. Genji’s hair stuck up in a few new places than before. 

His ears rung as Hanzo shouted at Genji from his back. Whatever he was saying sounded nasty and each Japanese syllable hit a new spot on his headache. Genji could only look dumb-founded from Hanzo to Jesse while Lucio looked bashful behind him. 

“Easy there partner, remember the headache.” 

Hanzo lowered his yelling to a snarl, but continued to chide Genji nonetheless. 

“Yeah, okay,” said Jesse, starting down the hallway, “I’m tired, so ya’ll can figure this out in the morning. Have a good night fellas, stay safe, make smart choices.” 

Flicking on the light, Jesse sat Hanzo down on his bed. His room looked like it belonged in an Ikea catalog. Art books filled the shelves, most of them about tattoos. Markers, pencils, and notebooks filled the trays on his desk. Hanzo mumbled to himself on the bed, searching for his charger. 

“Now what’re you grumblin’ about?” 

“He left me stranded! Just for some, some, fling!”

“He’s just havin’ a little fun, ain’t no harm in that. Not like he planned for you to get yourself stuck down there, plus you’d have to be blinder than a bat to not see that he’s been head over heels for Lucio these past few weeks.” 

His face soften a bit, but his arms remained crossed. He glanced up, ashamed, at Jesse. “Can you pass me my charger, it is on the desk.”

As he reached, he spotted a small poster that’d been hidden by the other supplies. It picture a group of young Korean men, all striking poses in ridiculous outfits. 

“What is this?” 

“Nothing,” said Hanzo snatching the charger. “Thank you for coming for me tonight, but now please leave.” 

“Is it a boy band?” 

“Leave, now.” 

Chuckling, Jesse stepped out of the room closing the door behind him. Genji and Lucio had relocated to, he assumed, Genji’s room. As he finally laid down in bed, a message buzzed on his phone. 

 

Unknown: Hanzo. 

  
He smiled, adding the contact before rolling over into a deep sleep.


End file.
